


The Birth of Faith

by glymr



Series: Hope, Faith, Love [2]
Category: DCU - Comicverse, Superboy - Fandom, Superman - Fandom
Genre: Bittersweet, Gen, Help Haiti, Heroes for Haiti
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-17
Updated: 2010-01-17
Packaged: 2017-12-12 04:05:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/807024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glymr/pseuds/glymr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story was written for help_haiti, for rai_daydreamer's request.  Thank you for your donation, rai_daydreamer!  I hope you like the story!</p>
    </blockquote>





	The Birth of Faith

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for help_haiti, for rai_daydreamer's request. Thank you for your donation, rai_daydreamer! I hope you like the story!

Kon was in Kansas when he heard about it. He nodded to Ma and took off, then hooked his JLA communicator over his ear once he was in the air. "Superboy to Watchtower, requesting teleport," he said.

"Superboy? The teleporters are backed up right now - too many heroes wanting to help," came a female voice he didn't recognize. "Try back in an hour."

 _An hour?_ "An *hour*?"

"Sorry, Superboy, things are crazy here," she said. "I'd start flying if I were you. Over and out."

His communicator clicked, and he pulled it out of his ear and looked at it incredulously. "Seriously?" He wasn't just any hero, he was *Superboy*. Sighing, he put the communicator back in his ear and poured on the speed as much as he could. Even with his abilities, it would take _hours_ to get there.

If only he had Superman's speed, he could be there in like, a second. But he didn't, and he never would. He'd never be as good as Superman.

A yellow streak appeared on the ground beneath him, kicking up a dust cloud behind it. Kid Flash matched his speed and looked up. "Need a ride?" he called.

Kon smiled.

* * *

The building was an inferno, too big for Superman to blow out, too close to other buildings for him to risk putting out another way. "The children!" cried a woman, running up to Superman. "Please, you must save them!"

"Where are they?" he asked her in his best calming voice.

"The basement. This was an evacuation point for the orphanage, but--" she gestured helplessly, desperately.

"I'll drill down--"

"No! The floor is fragile - it could break through and collapse on them at any moment!" As though to emphasize her words, the building's roof fell in with a roar.

A voice came from behind him. "Is there another way in?" Superman spun around to see Superboy standing there, staring at the flames.

"There is a stairway from the outside, but most of it collapsed in one of the aftershocks - that's why we couldn't get the kids back out. I managed to get a couple out but it fell in behind me," said the woman tearfully. "I'm afraid if you force your way in, it will bring the whole thing down on them!"

"I can do it," said Superboy quietly.

Superman frowned and locked eyes with his clone for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be. I can use my TTK to brace the stairwell," he said.

Superman nodded. "Go."

* * *

It was tricky, getting through the debris-filled stairwell, but Kon knew he could do it, sliding his TTK in and around it and carefully pulling it apart, sliding between it until he made it to the bottom. The air was full of the sound of childish sobs. Touching the floor, he stretched his field, feeling for the other presences in the dark room.

So many little bare feet.

"It's time to go," he called to them.

Shifting, and a dying flashlight flickering to life. "Who are you?"

"I'm Superboy. I'm here to save you." He could see the weak light reflected in their eyes.

"Okay," said one of them.

Kon looked around, then up as ominous creeks came from above them. He took a breath. "All right, everyone. Come hang on to me or to each other!" He opened his arms.

* * *

Superman watched in horror as the floor finally collapsed with a horrendous crash, frozen to the spot. He shouldn't have trusted Conner after all. He should have done it _himself_ \--

 _Something_ burst upward through the flames, shooting into the sky, trailing fire like a comet. Like a shooting star. Up, up it went, then, in a graceful arc, it came down again, landing lightly hundreds of yards away from the building. The huge thing resolved itself, it was a mass of children, at the center of which stood a tall young man. He crumpled to his knees as Superman watched, and in moments Clark found himself kneeling before the boy, surrounded by children.

"I used my TTK," gasped Conner, "Tried to cover all of them with it - so _many_ \- "

"You did it," said Clark, wrapping his arms around the boy. "You *saved* them! Look at them, Superboy. _Look_ at them, son!" But Conner was looking at him, instead, staring at his face as though frozen to the spot, his gaze wary and hopeful. "My _son_ ," said Clark again more softly, with sudden wonder in his tone. "Kon-El. My son. I am so proud of you."

Kon's eyes went wide, and he hugged Clark back hard. "Oh," he said. "I...Thank you. D--" he hesitated, then finished, his voice low, "D-dad."


End file.
